THE PRO INTERVIEW:BRAN SYMONDSON

He's a photographer who became a soldier, but the camera came too. Today, Bran Symondson mixes sculpture and photography into creating work for the new digital art form known as NFT - using AK-47s. Keith Wilson fires some questions...

AT THE end of each year, the lexicographers who update our dictionaries, announce their ‘word of the year.’ Usually, it’s a new phrase or piece of slang that has entered popular usage due to a major trend or change in societies. In November 2021, the Collins Dictionary announced their word of the year was the abbreviation, ‘NFT’, which stands for ‘non-fungible token.’ According to Collins, use of the NFT abbreviation rose by more than 11,000 per cent in 2021. But what exactly is an NFT, and what is its connection with photography?

Collins defines NFT as “a unique digital certificate, registered in a blockchain, that is used to record ownership of an asset such as an artwork or a collectible.” In other words, digital artworks – including original images, viral videos, memes and even tweets – that can be viewed only by the owner, who pays (often in a cryptocurrency, like Bitcoin) the seller for the privilege.

01 BRIEF ENCOUNTER

A moment of rest as a British soldier sits down while on patrol in the soaring heat of Musa Qala

Camera Canon PowerShot G9

Exposure 1/800 sec, f/4.8, ISO80

02 CONTACT AND SMOKE During contact with the Taliban, a smoke bomb was popped to mark Bran’s position for air cover

Camera Canon PowerShot G9

Exposure 1/800 sec, f/8, ISO100

03 DANGEROUS GROUND

A soldier sweeps the waterlogged ground for IEDs in front of a vehicle patrol

Exposure 1/500 sec, f/2.8, ISO100

04 TEA BREAK